


we pretend that we just don't care (but we care)

by Serie11



Series: Femslash February 2018 [5]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Aloy is super GAY and she's bad at hiding it, Coffee, F/F, Holidays, Spa Treatments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 14:03:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13591599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/pseuds/Serie11
Summary: Early morning breakfast followed by a spa treatment, all the while in Vanasha's company? Aloy might not know what 'coffee' or a 'spa' is, but that still sounds like a perfect day to her.





	we pretend that we just don't care (but we care)

**Author's Note:**

> This is a follow up from yesterday's Aloy/Vanasha fic, Move Alone With The Truth, but both fics can be read as stand alones

 

Meridian in the morning was something that Aloy appreciated immensely.

As dawn lightened the sky, only the Sun Priests and merchants were moving through the city. The flow of people eased for a scant few hours, allowing her to breathe in the space. Due to how many people there are normally around, Aloy dislikes Meridian, but – in the early morning dawn, she almost loves it.

Vanasha led her to a place where she claimed had the best breakfast in the city. Aloy was dressed in her lightest armour, and the freedom of movement it gave her almost made her dizzy. Or, that might be Vanasha’s presence – after last night, she wasn’t sure. All she knows is that she was feeling giddy and she loved it.

“Here,” Vanasha said. Aloy ducked into an alley and then into a cosy interior.

“Good morning my lady.” A man bowed low to Vanasha. “And Saviour. It would be my pleasure to serve you this morning.” He was wearing normal Carja gear, with the type of face paint that Aloy was beginning to recognise as belonging to someone who wasn’t a noble.

“My normal table, please,” Vanasha asked.

Aloy followed her to a table that was on a balcony. There was only one table on the balcony, and it created a small, intimate setting that Aloy appreciated. She would feel more comfortable with only Vanasha’s eyes on her.

“What would you like to order?”

“Two coffees, and water for the table,” Vanasha said airily. “And two of your house specials, please.” The waiter left. Vanasha winked at her. “The house special is the best, I promise.”

“I’ll trust you,” Aloy said.

“Have you had coffee before?”

“No,” Aloy said. “Although I have heard of it.”

“Hm, well people vary on whether they like it or not,” Vanasha said. “I, obviously, do. You can try it, and if you don’t like it, then more for me.” Aloy couldn’t look away from her smile. Vanasha was always so _charming_ – Aloy needed to come back to Meridian more often so that she could appreciate it more.

Vanasha’s smile sharpened. Aloy took a breath. “How did you find this place?”

Vanasha shrugged one shoulder. “I knew the girl who set this place up after she came to the Sundom. You know, she’s originally an Oseram? Her father wanted to marry her off, but she didn’t like that idea much.”

“I can’t blame her,” Aloy muttered. Vanasha inclined her head.

“Exactly. Which was why I helped her leave.”

Aloy stared out over the jungle, leg bouncing. “You’ve been helping people for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Where I can, I try,” Vanasha said. “It never hurts to do a favour.”

Aloy’s mouth twisted. “Sometimes I think of all the things that you do, that Avad and Erend and Talanah do, and feel like a fraud.”

“Why?”

Aloy looked back at Vanasha. She can tell that it’s a genuine question. She dropped her eyes to the table. Vanasha’s eyes saw too much – Aloy felt like they saw right through her.  

“For so long, the only thing I cared about was myself, and all I wanted was answers, for myself. Even when I left Nora lands and came here, half the time I was only helping people because it would help me. I didn’t want to help Erend find the place his sister was killed, because I thought I had other things to be doing. In the end I only helped him because I literally walked past him, and I wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye if I hadn’t stopped. I’m not a good person like the rest of you.”

“And yet you still stopped,” Vanasha pointed out. “You still helped him. I’ve heard a dozen stories of you helping people, whether it be to track down stolen property or find them a longleg lens, or clear out a lake of snapmaws so that one person can grieve in peace. That doesn’t sound like the actions of a selfish person.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Not to mention, oh, saving the entire world.”

“That doesn’t count,” Aloy muttered. “If I didn’t do anything, then I would have died as well.”

Like stupid Sylens. She still can’t believe that he didn’t show up to help in the final battle.

“Maybe, but you don’t know that,” Vanasha said. “When you were solving this mystery and gathering information, you weren’t doing it all for yourself. There had to be some point, along the way, where you found the answer to your question.”

Under All Mother mountain, yes. She’d found out why she had been born, only to be asked to do something more monumental than Aloy can even now wrap her head around.

“Yes, I found out. But the person who told me, she asked me to save the world,” Aloy finally said. “I couldn’t just… not do it.”

“You did what was asked of you,” Vanasha said slowly. “You did for no reason beside the fact that you wanted to help, even at a potentially immense personal cost. That sounds pretty selfless to me.”

Aloy bit her tongue. Was it? She just felt like it was basic decency, but…

“Maybe,” she said. “I’ll think about it.”

Vanasha purses her mouth. “Well, I think the answer is pretty obvious, so I’m sure a clever girl like you can find the right answer with little trouble. Now, let’s enjoy our breakfast, okay?”

“Okay,” Aloy said, taking a deep breath. She could just – enjoy today with Vanasha. There was time to think about these things later. Vanasha _made_ her think – it was one of the things that Aloy liked about her. In time, she was sure that she could find an answer to these questions.

* * *

 

“How is this relaxing?” Aloy finally asked. In front of them, were half a dozen bottles, several cucumbers, sponges, and things that Aloy didn’t even have names for. She was concerned. These things were going to be used on her?

“You just have to try it, darling,” Vanasha said. “After all, you liked the coffee this morning, didn’t you?” She tilted her head in a way that exposed the lean line of her neck. Aloy tried to look without openly salivating.

Aloy _had_ liked the coffee, it was true. But there was a difference between drinking something and… allowing someone to put all of _that_ on her face.

“Okay,” she finally said. She’d let Vanasha introduce her to new food this morning, and new… activities last night, so why not one more new thing before she left the city? It wasn’t like it would hurt her. Probably.

“Excellent,” Vanasha said, satisfaction curling in her voice.

There were two chairs next to each other in the middle of the room. Aloy was already feeling strange because she was walking around in a towel, but sitting down and having two girls immediately start to fuss over her was even stranger.

“Hello,” she said, and they both smiled at her. One of them was grabbing bottles and the other draped another towel around her shoulders. It was damp and warm.

“Can I undo your braids, ma’am?”

“Oh,” Aloy said. “Um, yeah, sure.”

She’d done her own hair for her whole life – Rost would have chopped it all off if he could have, but he’d only told her that if she let it get too matted or dirty then he would chop it off. So having someone’s hands in her hair is weird, but… relaxing. She let out a deep breath.  

“Manicure and facial today?” one of the girls around Vanasha asked. Vanasha nodded, and the two girls around her started pulling out all sorts of strange looking instruments. Aloy tried to sit up to see them better, but hands came down on her shoulders.

“Please, stay still.”

“Okay,” Aloy said, after a pause. She looked up at the girl. She had dark hair and eyes, with no face paint on. “What are your names?”

“Tailah, ma’am,” the girl undoing her braids said.

“Leliena, my lady,” the other girl said. “Please, pretend we aren’t here.”

As if this spa thing wasn’t weird enough, she was meant to ignore two people in the room? And probably the two girls who were attending Vanasha. Aloy furrowed her brow. The Carja were a weird tribe.

Leliena started to inspect her fingers. Aloy didn’t think of herself as a vain person, but under her intense scrutiny, she felt a bit self-conscious. She’d been told by  more than one person that she was pretty, so she didn’t doubt it, but compared to all the Carja ladies that Leliena must attend, Aloy probably looks like she’s just rolled out of the jungle. Probably because she has.

Shaking her head slightly, Aloy cast off those thoughts. Yes, she was different to other women, but she didn’t think that was a bad thing. She looked at Vanasha. _Vanasha_ didn’t think it was a bad thing, either. Aloy was certain of that. This spa thing was making her feel all jumbled up and strange – she never usually had these types of thoughts.

“My protocol, for both of us, please,” Vanasha said. Aloy watched as Leliena pulled out a long, thin stick. When she rubbed it against Aloy’s fingernails, she realised that it must be some sort of file.

“I suppose you don’t have any of this in Nora lands,” Vanasha said.

“No,” Aloy replied. “The Carja have time on their hands that the Nora do not. I suppose that has led to the creation of such… strange rituals.” Except Tailah had brought over a basin and was washing her hair with such good smelling soap… Despite her concerns, Aloy let her eyes fall shut.

Vanasha chuckled deeply, the sound going through Aloy’s bones. “Yes, I suppose that is one way of putting it. I say, work hard and then play hard.”

“Well I know you like to play,” Aloy said, opening one eye to see Vanasha’s smile. She wasn’t disappointed. The curve of her lips made heat dance under Aloy’s skin.

“Yes,” Vanasha purred. “And I know all the best places to do so. The Sundom may be lacking in certain aspects, but the nobles here at the Palace certainly do know how to relax.”

Leaning back in her chair, Aloy certainly agreed. And with Vanasha by her side, there was nowhere else she’d rather relax, or anyone else who she’d rather do it with.

**Author's Note:**

> Today's prompt was: holiday
> 
> no more Vanasha prompts for a while... I cry because I've grown to love her. Maybe I'll just have to write more for her in the future...


End file.
